[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 187 (Thursday, September 28, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45322-45324]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-20726]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-336; NRC-2017-0197]


Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, Inc.; Millstone Power Station, Unit 
No. 2

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact; 
issuance.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing an 
environmental assessment (EA) and finding of no significant impact 
(FONSI) regarding the request for regulatory exemption from specific 
requirements that would allow the use of operator manual actions 
related to loss of instrument air regarding Renewed Facility Operating 
License No. DPR-65 held by Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, Inc. 
(Dominion, the licensee) for the operation of Millstone Power Station, 
Unit No. 2 (Millstone 2).

DATES: The EA and FONSI referenced in this document is available on 
September 28, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2017-0197 when contacting the 
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You 
may obtain publicly-available information related to this document 
using any of the following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2017-0197. Address 
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-415-
3463; email: [email protected]. For technical questions, contact 
the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of 
this document.
     NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System 
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly-available documents online in the 
ADAMS Public Documents collection at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the search, select ``ADAMS Public Documents'' and 
then select ``Begin Web-based ADAMS Search.'' For problems with ADAMS, 
please contact the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR) reference staff at 
1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by email to [email protected]. For 
the convenience of the reader, the ADAMS accession number for each 
document referenced in this document (if it is available in ADAMS) is 
provided in a table in the ``Availability of Documents'' section.
     NRC's PDR: You may examine and purchase copies of public 
documents at the NRC's PDR, Room 01-F21, One White Flint North, 11555 
Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard Guzman, Office of Nuclear 
Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 
20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-1030; email: [email protected].

[[Page 45323]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Introduction

    The NRC is considering issuance of an exemption from certain 
requirements from section III.G.2 of appendix R to part 50 of title 10 
of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), ``Fire Protection Program 
for Nuclear Power Facilities Operating Prior to January 1, 1979,'' for 
Renewed Facility Operating License No. DPR-65 issued to the licensee 
for operation of Millstone 2, located in New London County, 
Connecticut.
    In accordance with 10 CFR 51.21, the NRC has prepared an EA that 
analyzes the environmental effects of the proposed regulatory 
exemption. Based on the results of the EA, and in accordance with 10 
CFR 51.32, the NRC has prepared a FONSI for the proposed action.

II. Environmental Assessment

Description of the Proposed Action

    In its application dated October 28, 2016, the licensee requested 
an exemption from certain requirements pertaining to NRC fire 
regulations contained in appendix R to 10 CFR part 50. The proposed 
action would exempt Millstone 2 from these requirements and allow the 
licensee to use alternate methods than those specified in appendix R to 
10 CFR part 50 to achieve and maintain hot shutdown conditions for 
affected initiating fire areas with consideration of a loss of 
instrument air. Specifically, the proposed action would allow the 
licensee to use operator manual actions (OMAs) related to loss of 
instrument air at Millstone 2 in lieu of the requirements contained in 
section III.G.2 of appendix R to 10 CFR part 50.

Need for the Proposed Action

    A regulatory exemption to section III.G.2 of appendix R to 10 CFR 
part 50 is needed to allow Millstone 2 to use alternate methods than 
those specified in appendix R to 10 CFR part 50 to achieve and maintain 
hot shutdown conditions for affected initiating fire areas with 
consideration of a loss of instrument air.
    Regulatory Issue Summary 2006-10, ``Regulatory Expectations with 
Appendix R, Section III.G.2, Operator Manual Actions,'' documents the 
NRC position on the use of OMAs as part of a compliance strategy to 
meet the requirements of section III.G.2 of appendix R. The NRC 
requires plants which credit manual actions for regulatory compliance 
with section III.G.2 of appendix R to obtain NRC approval for those 
actions in accordance with the requirements of 10 CFR part 50.12, 
``Specific Exemptions.''
    The licensee originally submitted an exemption request for OMAs 
contained in the Millstone 2 Appendix R Compliance Report in its letter 
dated June 30, 2011. The licensee subsequently removed four OMAs from 
that exemption request related to specific fire areas by letter dated 
February 29, 2012, because loss of instrument air was not a postulated 
event. The NRC approved the requested exemption, as revised, by letter 
dated December 18, 2012.
    During the 2016 triennial fire inspection at Millstone 2, it was 
identified that a loss of offsite power will result in a loss of 
instrument air prior to the emergency diesel generators starting and 
that instrument air does not automatically restart and cannot be 
manually started from the control room. The intent of 10 CFR part 50, 
appendix R, section III.G.2, is to ensure one train of systems 
necessary to achieve and maintain hot shutdown will remain available in 
the event of a fire. At Millstone 2, instrument air is a single train 
system and, therefore, does not meet appendix R, section III.G.2 
requirements because there is no redundant train. A loss of instrument 
air will result in both atmospheric dump valves (ADVs) failing closed. 
Instrument air is necessary to operate the ADVs and support decay heat 
removal. The four OMAs (OMAs 1, 9, 10, and 11) subject to this 
exemption request provide assurance for the use of alternate methods 
than those specified in appendix R to 10 CFR part 50 to achieve and 
maintain hot shutdown conditions for affected initiating fire areas 
with consideration of a loss of instrument air. As a result, the 
licensee is submitting this exemption request for those OMAs (OMAs 1, 
9, 10, and 11) related to a loss of instrument air for certain affected 
initiating fire areas (R-9, R-10, R-13, and R-14).

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed action. The 
proposed action consists of the NRC granting Millstone 2 a regulatory 
exemption for the use of alternate methods than those specified in 
appendix R to 10 CFR part 50 to achieve and maintain hot shutdown 
conditions for affected initiating fire areas with consideration of a 
loss of instrument air. Specifically, the regulatory exemption is 
necessary to allow the use of OMAs related to loss of instrument air in 
lieu of the requirements contained in section III.G.2 of appendix R to 
10 CFR part 50.
    The proposed changes would have no direct impacts on land use or 
water resources, including terrestrial and aquatic biota as the 
proposed action involves no new construction or modification of plant 
operational systems. There would be no changes to the quality or 
quantity of non-radiological effluents. No changes to the plant's 
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit are needed. No 
changes in ambient air quality would be expected. In addition, there 
would be no noticeable effect on socioeconomic conditions in the 
region, no environment justice impacts, and no impacts to historic and 
cultural resources. Therefore, there would be no significant non-
radiological impacts associated with the proposed action.
    The NRC has concluded that the proposed action would not 
significantly affect plant safety and would not have a significant 
adverse effect on the probability of an accident occurring. There would 
be no change to radioactive effluents that affect radiation exposures 
to plant workers and members of the public. No changes would be made to 
plant buildings or the site property. Therefore, the proposed action 
would not result in a change to the radiation exposures to the public 
or radiation exposure to plant workers.
    Accordingly, the NRC concludes that there are no significant 
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.

Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action

    As an alternative to the proposed action, the NRC considered denial 
of the proposed action (i.e., the ``no-action'' alternative). Denial of 
the regulatory exemptions would result in no change in current 
environmental impacts. Therefore, the environmental impacts of the 
proposed action and the denial of the exemption request would be 
similar.

Alternative Use of Resources

    There are no unresolved conflicts concerning alternative uses of 
available resources under the proposed action.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    In accordance with its stated policy, on July 31, 2017, the NRC 
staff consulted with the Connecticut State official, Mr. Jeffrey 
Semancik of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, 
regarding the environmental impact of the proposed action. The state 
official had no comments.

III. Finding of No Significant Impact

    The licensee has requested an exemption from specific regulatory 
requirements to allow the use of OMAs

[[Page 45324]]

as alternate methods than those specified in section III.G.2 of 
appendix R of 10 CFR part 50 to achieve and maintain hot shutdown 
conditions for affected initiating fire areas with consideration of a 
loss of instrument air. The NRC is considering issuing the requested 
exemption. The proposed action would not significantly affect plant 
safety, would not have a significant adverse effect on the probability 
of an accident occurring, and would not have any significant 
radiological and non-radiological impacts. This FONSI incorporates by 
reference the EA in Section II of this notice. Therefore, the NRC 
concludes that the proposed action will not have a significant effect 
on the quality of the human environment. Accordingly, the NRC has 
determined not to prepare an environmental impact statement for the 
proposed action.
    The related environmental document is the ``Generic Environmental 
Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants: Regarding 
Millstone Power Station, Units 2 and 3--Final Report,'' NUREG-1437, 
Supplement 22. NUREG-1437, Supplement 22 provides the latest 
environmental review of current operations and description of 
environmental conditions at Millstone 2.
    The finding and other related environmental documents may be 
examined, and/or copied for a fee, at the NRC's Public Document Room 
(PDR), located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, 
Rockville, Maryland 20852. Publicly-available records will be 
accessible electronically from ADAMS Public Electronic Reading Room on 
the Internet at the NRC's Web site: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html.

IV. Availability of Documents

    The documents identified in the following table are available to 
interested persons through one or more of the following methods, as 
indicated.

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                                               ADAMS Accession No./ Web
                  Document                      link/ Federal Register
                                                       Citation
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Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, Inc.,           ML16305A330
 Millstone Power Station, Unit 2, Proposed
 Exemption Request from 10 CFR 50, Appendix
 R, Section III.G, ``Fire Protection of Safe
 Shutdown Capability.'' Dated October 28,
 2016.
Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, Inc.,           ML11188A213
 Millstone, Unit 2--Request for Exemption
 from 10 CFR 50, Appendix R, Section III.G,
 ``Fire Protection of Safe Shutdown
 Capability.'' Dated June 30, 2011.
Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, Inc.,           ML12069A016
 Millstone Power Station, Unit 2--Response
 to Request for Additional Information
 Request for Exemption from 10 CFR 50,
 Appendix R, Section III.G, ``Fire
 Protection of Safe Shutdown Capability.''
 Dated February 29, 2012.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,           ML12312A373
 Millstone Power Station, Unit 2, Correction
 to Previously Issued Exemption from the
 Requirements of 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix R,
 Section III.G.2. (TAC No. ME6693). Dated
 December 18, 2012.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, NRC       ML061650389
 Regulatory Issue Summary 2006-010--
 Regulatory Expectations with Appendix R
 Paragraph III.G.2 Operator Manual Actions.
 Dated June 30, 2006.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, NUREG-    ML051960295
 1437, Supplement 22, Generic Environmental
 Impact Statement for License Renewal of
 Nuclear Plants: Regarding Millstone Power
 Station, Units 2 and 3, Final Report Dated
 July, 2005.
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    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 20th day of September 2017.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Richard V. Guzman,
Senior Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch I, Division of Operating 
Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2017-20726 Filed 9-27-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P